SEAN Penn’s “Into the Wild,” a drama about a disaffected young man who wanders North America, nabbed the top prize as the movie kudos season opened with the Gotham Awards.

Other awards presented by the Independent Feature Project last night at the Steiner Studios in Brooklyn went to Michael Moore’s health-care exposé “Sicko,” for best documentary; and to Craig Zobel, who won breakthrough director for his recording industry-themed “Great World of Sound.”

The breakthrough actor award went to Ellen Page, who plays a pregnant teenager in “Juno.” The ensemble cast award was shared by the actors in Sidney Lumet’s blackly comic caper “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” and “Talk to Me,” a biopic of a ’70s deejay.

Meanwhile, Todd Haynes’ “I’m Not There,” a pseudo-biopic of Bob Dylan, led nominations for the West Coast-based Indie Spirit Awards. It copped nods for best feature, best director, best supporting actress (Cate Blanchett) and best supporting actor (Marcus Carl Franklin), as well as winning the first-ever Robert Altman award.

The Indie Spirit Awards, which will be presented Feb. 23 – the day before the Oscars – snubbed “Sicko” in the documentary category and also ignored high-profile indies such as “Away From Her” and “Lars and the Real Girl.”

“Margot at the Wedding” scored a single nomination, for best supporting actress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and “Waitress” received a nod for its screenplay by murdered director Adrienne Shelly.